Budget Vice Chair Assemblyman Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber) expressed outrage with California Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget decision to delay opening the Redding Veterans Home for yet another year.

Such a move is tantamount to “denying those who have served and sacrificed for our nation the care they deserve,” Nielsen said.

“This is just one of a long list of bad decisions Brown has made that have hurt veterans since he’s been in the office,” said Nielsen. “He’s reneging on a commitment he’s made to those who have fought hard, sacrificing their lives even, for our country.”

“Brown appears to be holding the already completed Redding and Fresno Veterans homes hostage in a budget proposal that one commentator has accurately referred to as the biggest ransom note in history,” said Nielsen.

“The Governor’s threat that if California citizens don’t pay up to the tune of $7 billion in new taxes, he will cut (funding of) these homes, cut three weeks from the K-12 school year and continue his dangerous release of tens of thousands of un-rehabilitated criminals into their communities, is a shakedown of epic proportions,” Nielsen said

Nielsen explained that the delay for another year of the Veterans Homes could compromise federal funding to assist with these important projects, and “this is an unacceptable risk to take by delaying” the homes’ completion.

“As for our American heroes, California veterans, the Governor’s track record has proven that they are not a priority for him, especially when state expenditures are increased by 7 percent in the proposed budget,” said Nielsen, who represents the Second Assembly District that includes the northern California counties of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yolo.